Posted on Tuesday, September 2, 2025
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by AMAC Action
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A new international study has found that the United States ranks dead last among 37 democracies when it comes to election integrity. This shocking finding underscores the critical importance of ongoing efforts by AMAC Action to secure America’s elections and empower citizens to make their voices heard in support of enhancing election integrity.
The study, conducted by The Meyers Report, evaluated 17 areas of voting system risk and concluded that the U.S. has “the worst voting system of the countries studied,” scoring significantly lower than nations such as Mexico, Kenya, Italy, and even Rwanda. The report cited widespread vulnerabilities related to mail-in voting, ballot harvesting, and electronic voting machines without auditable paper trails.
“The U.S. is supposed to be the shining beacon on the hill for democracy, yet we are the only country surveyed that uses the honor system in any election process of the countries surveyed,” Jay Delancy, founder of Voter Integrity Project-NC and a co-author of the study, noted.
For AMAC Action and its two million members, the study is a validation of the work already undertaken to restore trust in the nation’s elections. In 2024 alone, AMAC Action helped secure 22 election integrity victories in more than a dozen states – including bans on ranked-choice voting and noncitizen voting in several jurisdictions.
“These findings should serve as a wake-up call to lawmakers and citizens alike,” said AMAC Action Senior Vice President Andy Mangione. “Our members have seen firsthand how weak election laws erode public confidence, and we’ve worked tirelessly to advance common-sense reforms that restore transparency and accountability.”
Among the report’s most alarming conclusions is that 94% of countries studied do not allow unrestricted mail-in voting, compared to the United States, where it is now common practice in many states. Countries that permit mail-in voting, such as the UK, do so only with strict eligibility requirements.
The study also highlights that 55% of U.S. states allow ballot harvesting, a practice banned in every other country studied. Additionally, 92 percent of other democracies in the study require a photo ID for voting, while 29% of U.S. states do not require any ID to vote. This could soon change, as President Donald Trump is notably considering an executive order requiring a photo ID to vote in federal elections.
Ballot harvesting, the report notes, allows third parties to collect and submit ballots – introducing opportunities for coercion and fraud. “Ballot harvesting reinstitutes practices eliminated by the 1965 Voting Rights Act,” said co-author Jay Delancy.
Also troubling is the U.S.’s widespread use of touchscreen voting machines. Only 9% of countries surveyed use similar electronic systems, while in the U.S., 18 states use them without producing hard-copy ballots that can be used for recounts or audits.
“This report confirms what so many Americans already feel – that our election systems are needlessly vulnerable,” said AMAC CEO Rebecca Weber. “Election integrity isn’t about partisanship; it’s about protecting the foundation of our republic. AMAC will continue to fight for voter ID laws, secure ballot processes, and meaningful audits of election systems.”
Top-performing states in the study included Mississippi, Arkansas, and Kentucky, all of which earned scores above 75. At the bottom of the rankings were Nevada, Vermont, California, Illinois, and Washington, D.C., all with failing scores between 30 and 39.
The Meyers Report makes clear that the problems facing the U.S. electoral system are systemic and deeply embedded. But it also shows that solutions are possible – and that many of them have already been adopted successfully in other parts of the world.
That’s why AMAC Action remains focused on expanding its state-level legislative initiatives, engaging members through grassroots action, and working directly with lawmakers to advance robust election reforms.
“This report gives us a roadmap,” Mangione added. “We know what works, and we know our members are ready to take action. We’re going to keep pushing until every American can trust the outcome of every election.”
With more states preparing election reform legislation ahead of 2026, AMAC Action is committed to being a leading voice in the fight for free, fair, and secure elections – for this generation and the next.
Read full article here